The Paths We Walk
by StarryHeaven
Summary: -set after Symphonia main storyline- When Sheena's daughter sets out to find her brother and father, who had gone missing 12 years ago, she gets caught up in the events of an uprising. But she's in for a surprise when she finds out who the leader is...
1. Scroll I

Scroll 1: Suzu

_Darkness._

_All around me, darkness enveloped me, leaving no escape route._

_Why does this keep happening to me?_

_There's a glimmer of light within the darkness, and I feel like I'm being squeezed and pulled on all sides. I can't breathe._

_Then I wake up._

My name is Suzu Fujibayashi Wilder, and I'm 15 years old. I live in a small, secluded village named Mizuho. It's a village made up of ninjas. I'm proud to say that my mother is Chief Sheena Fujibayashi, which means I'm next in line to be chief. It's just about the title, either. I get to learn the iguriashi style of fighting, passed down from our ancestors. It's a big honor, and I can't wait until I'm 18! You might be wondering why my last name is "Wilder", instead of "Fujibayashi". My father's name is Zelos Wilder, the famed _playboy_ and _chosen_. I also have a brother who's two years older than me. You see, we were both born in Mizuho, but after a while, my father left for Tethe'alla, the main city. Since my mother couldn't take care of us both and juggle her duties as chief at the same time, my father took my brother, Rinji, to Tethe'alla with him. That was twelve years ago. I haven't heard or seen my father or my brother since then. In the beginning, we got monthly correspondence from them, but it mainly consisted of rants on how boring life was in the castle. I also suspect there's more details about how they live their life, and the people they entertain (mother always says this word sarcastically), but she skips over those details, and I usually have to wait until she's asleep to obtain the letter and read it for myself. I've been stuck in Mizuho my entire life, so it's only through these letters that I learn about the outside world.

Then, one day, the letters just suddenly stopped. No explanation, no why or how, they just stopped coming. Of course, mother was frantic, and in turn, became very protective of me, demanding to know where I was going every time I went out.

I have preparing a lot recently, and I'm going out to see the world. But more importantly, I'm going to track down father and Rinji, to see if they're all right. Mother is still planning for a group of people (read: trained ninjas) to go search, and wouldn't let me go. So I'm sneaking out. But there's another thing that's been troubling mother recently- I learned about it when I was eavesdropping on the village meeting one time. Mizuho recently got word that Tethe'alla radicals are plotting to overthrow the government and the king. If that happens, there's a good chance Mizuho will be revealed, and our days of living in peace will be gone forever.

That's why it's so important for me to investigate. I'm just a child, after all, so no one will suspect me.

-End of Scroll I-


	2. Scroll II

Scroll 2: Rinji

The castle; my home and paradise. Also home to screaming fangir-

"! Young Chosen-samaaaaa! Take me out to dinner! No, take ME!"

As the son of the former chosen of Tethe'alla, I have my responsibilities to uphold, but screaming fangirls wasn't one of them. I can feel a headache coming on, but I put on my most charming smile. What I REALLY want to do is to kick them all out so I can get some well-deserved _rest_, dammit!

Then there's my reputation...

"Ahhhhhhhhhhh, so many _girls_. Just _who _shall I _choose _today, hmmmmm? You are all so _delicious_, my _hunnies_." I lovingly stroke the hair of one girl, who squeals in my ear, and I wince.

Who knew girls could make that hair-rising, ear-splitting noise?

I whip out fangirl deterrent #1- my trusty handkerchief, and touch it to my lips, then throw it out to the crowd of fangirls, who, as predicted, let go of me and make a mad scramble for the kerchief. I simply sit back and watch them cat fight among themselves. It really is very amusing, watching them. I simply couldn't understand why they would fight over something as simple as a _handkerchief_, especially since I have _so many_. Then again, it's my father's fame that keeps us so _well-to-do_- and mine, of course.

My father, Zelos Wilder, the Chosen of Tethe'alla, and me, the Chosen's son. We are favored by the king, and given not only luxuries most people couldn't afford, but _power_ most people _crave_. We are messengers to places all around the world, and enjoy a kind of wealth that most people would _die for_. Although, most days are plain boring.

Of course, we keep our reputation squeaky clean. It would be a _scandal_ to know that the_ great Wilder_'s reputation had been tarnished, so we keep good relations with everyone. This includes my _hunnies_, some of whom come from well-to-do families, so I can sometimes gain important political information from them. This is what I call _keeping court_. Compliment them, get in their favor, occasionally gift them with rare items, keep on their good side, and score big on valuable information. For example, a few months ago, one of my girls tipped me off about a dangerous criminal's whereabouts, which I immediately reported to the king. The king sent out troops and within the hour, the criminal was caught and my pockets were jingling with _hard cash_.

But of course, I'm still not as good as Father. He can really turn the charm on when he wants to, and can coerce the women to part with not just valuable information, but valuable items as well. Just the other day, we acquired some beast hide, mermaid's tears (in a bottle), mystic herbs, and some black and some white silver. All of these are expensive items, not that I couldn't get them myself, since I _do _have the money, but it's more fun this way, and it's easy.

Oh yes, and when you don't need them anymore, they're easy to dispose of. I can just get a new one to replace her.

I _am_ a _player_, after all.


	3. Scroll III

Scroll 3: Suzu

When it got dark, and I had supposedly gone to bed, I carefully got out of bed, making sure I made my bed and didn't disturb anything in the room as I tiptoed outside. The summer night was perfect: warm but not humid, and the sky was dotted with shimmering stars. I went around to the back of the house. Our family Rheaird was parked there in the back of the hut, next to the shovels and wheelbarrows. I nimbly tiptoed over and climbed on. The machine didn't start, so I got off and started inspecting the machine for defects. After a while, I couldn't find any defects, so I got back on. It was then that I remembered something mom had told me when I was little and she was showing me the Rheaird for the first time.

"_The Rheaird uses mana from you. When you want to start it, you have to give mana to the machine._

"_How do I do that?"_

"_Sit back, and in your mind, see the mana running like water, from you to the Rheaird. When you start to feel warm and tingly, you are doing it right."_

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. After a minute, I started to feel warm, and the Rheaird roared to life. I turned toward the direction of the royal city Meltokio (I had decided to go there first, since that was the most likely place my dad and brother would be) and I was off!

After a while, I set the Rheaird on autopilot and pulled out a sack, filled with dried fruits and a canteen of water (all pilfered from the kitchen) and ate a quick snack. From my sack, I pulled out a map of the world. Since Meltokio is northwest of Mizuho, I turned northwest and rode on. Around sunup, I was exhausted. Who knew driving a Rheaird took so much work? I navigated near a stream and sat down to rest a bit before going on. Somehow, I fell asleep.

When I woke up, it was afternoon. I drank some water from the stream and ate the rest of my dried fruits. Making my way to the town center, I managed to get some information from a nice lady running a flower stall. Meltokio was still about 5 miles away, so I climbed back on my Rheaird and continued on my way. As I continued on my way, I thought about the sudden disappearance of my dad and my brother. I couldn't understand why they would suddenly stop sending letters. I had already ruled out a lot of possibilities, but there was still a possibility. It was so horrible that I didn't want to think about it, but now, I had to face the reality that my dad and brother could possibly be dead (perhaps murdered by the king?). I shuddered and banished the thought from my head. For the rest of the way, I tried my hardest to convince myself that the possibility of them being dead was close to 0, but I somehow felt unsettled.

-End of Scroll 3-


End file.
